Fisherman's Ring
Preserved but no longer current.
A seal-ring with which the Pope is invested at his election, bearing the device of St. Peter fishing from a boat. It is used for sealing legal briefs, and is officially broken up at his death by the Chamberlain of the Roman Church.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Fisherman's Ring” mean?
A seal-ring with which the Pope is invested at his election, bearing the device of St. Peter fishing from a boat. It is used for sealing legal briefs, and is officially broken up at his death by the Chamberlain of the Roman Church.
Is “Fisherman's Ring” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.